Call Me Maybe?
by YumeNouveau
Summary: Yuuri never thought his life was a dumpster fire until the day his idol Viktor became his new roommate. Then suddenly his life became a never ending cycle of avoiding skating with Viktor, avoiding talking to Viktor and especially avoiding a freshly showered incredibly sexy towel-clad Viktor. Rated M for later chapters in which Yuuri's mouth will hang open for more than just shock.
1. Chapter 1

*ding dong*

At the sound of the doorbell, Yuuri curiously looked up from the magazine he was reading on the couch. He'd only just settled in after a long day of practice, snuggled up in baggy sweat pants and a hoodie, his hair still damp from the hot shower. The last thing he felt like doing was getting up.

"Phichit, you got it?" Yuuri yelled into the kitchen where his roommate was busy going over his upcoming class schedule with their coach Celestino.

"I'll get it, it's probably your new flatmate," Celestino shouted back and Yuuri heard the sound of a chair sliding as the older man got up and walked toward the door.

"Thank you Ciao Ciao," Phichit said sweetly and Yuuri chuckled at the strange nickname with which his friend had recently dubbed their coach.

Yuuri settled back into the plump sofa cushions, propping his sock-clad feet up on the coffee table. He was more sore than he'd been in months, having pushed his body to the limit on some of his jumps, a limit it seemed eager to protest considering the amount of times he'd fallen. Sighing, he stretched his shoulders slightly, wincing at the pull. At least it meant he was gaining muscles he reasoned. Or bruises.

"Come on in," Yuuri heard faintly from the front room as Celestino welcomed in who he assumed to be their new flatmate.

Though he and Phichit had shared a room in the small house Celestino had for his star skaters since he had moved in two years ago at age 18, there was a third master bedroom that had recently freed up after their friend Johnny graduated in May. Celestino had been on the lookout for a new skater to take his room since then, though it was only a week ago when he had apparently found a candidate.

"I hope your flight wasn't too bad," Celestino said from the other room and Yuuri heard the distinct sound of luggage being hauled through the door. "This is Phichit, one of your new housemates."

Yuuri cocked his head to the side, magazine forgotten in his lap, listening for a response.

"Phichit?" Celestino prompted, and only after a few seconds did he hear a muffled response.

"Oh, um wow, it's a pleasure."

The new flatmate laughed and Yuuri frowned. Rarely was Phichit rendered speechless.

As footsteps trailed into the living room, Yuuri turned his head, watching as first Celestino lead the way followed by...a vision.

Yuuri gasped audibly, blinking multiple times and finally shaking his head. But no matter how many times he attempted to clear his eyes, the man before him remained.

Viktor Nikiforov, the most decorated skater in the world, his idol and muse, was standing not three feet away. And attempting not to laugh at him.

Yuuri felt his face heat up as embarrassment seeped in. He looked down his own body, taking in the sock with a hole in the big toe, his black sweats worn almost grey, his hoodie that was three sizes too big, and decided on the spot that this absolutely was the worst moment of his life. Meeting the man he looked up to, had worshipped since he was a kid, as he sat like a slob in his living room. All he was missing was a coke resting on a beer gut, orange cheeto rements on his fingers, maybe some stubble… Yuuri stopped his train of thought. No this was bad enough.

"Umm, Yuuri?" Celestino said, giving him a concerned look.

Yuuri blinked owlishly at his coach.

"I said, this is your new flatmate, Viktor."

Holding out a lean, immaculately manicured hand, Viktor cocked his head to the side and smiled that brilliant smile at Yuuri. "It's a pleasure Yuuri."

Yuuri could not stop staring at Viktor's hand. No matter what he tried, his body was frozen in place. It was so perfect, Viktor was so perfect. Why was this happening?

"I think he's forgotten to breath," Phichit chuckled, coming up beside Viktor.

Oh right, air, he'd need that. Yuuri inhaled a deep breath before slowly taking his eyes from Viktor's hand and trailing it up, admiring the thin frame hidden behind a stylish brown coat, the long silver hair that flowed over one shoulder, the soft blue eyes that danced with mirth as their owner bit his soft pink bottom lip. And oh shit Viktor still had his hand out. Should he shake it? How long had it been, how did muscles even work, would this just be his life now?

Finally giving up, Viktor let out a soft laugh and turned to Celestino. "I think he's glitched, maybe we can come back once he reboots?"

Oh god he was funny. Of course Viktor was funny, he was perfect. Both Phichit and Celestino laughed and Yuuri tried his best but it came out instead as a strangled cough.

"Let me show you around then," Celestino said, guiding Viktor thankfully away. "So that was the living room, I'm not sure if Yuuri will ever leave it again but we can only hope. This will be your room." A door creaked open and Yuuri sighed as Celestino took the other man away. The more doors between he and Viktor, the easier it was for him to breath again.

"Yuuri?" Phichit said, settling beside him on the couch. "You're worrying me."

Ever so slowly Yuuri took back control of his body, finally flinging his head back against the couch and staring at the ceiling. "Phichit, please tell me I did not just act like an idiot in front of Viktor Nikiforov."

"Ummm..." Phichit started.

"Do you think, I mean maybe he didn't notice me?"

"You mean before or after you almost asphyxiated and ignored his handshake?" Phichit chuckled.

"My life is a dumpster fire," Yuuri groaned, rubbing his face into his hands.

"And this," Yuuri heard Celestino say as he came back into the hallway, "Is Yuuri and Phichit's room.

Yuuri had never ran so fast in his life. Bolting up from the couch he sped down the hallway, grabbing the door right as Celestino had pulled it open and slamming it shut in both he and Viktors' faces. Back against the door, Yuuri panted, his heart beating out of his chest as he strained to hold back the newest impending wave of embarrassment. Eyes darting, he surveyed his side of the room, taking in the dozen posters and prints of Viktor that he had lovingly plastered to the wall. He'd been wrong earlier. This would be the most embarrassing moment of his life. If Viktor saw.

"Just a second," he shouted, his voice breaking a bit as he scrambled to pull images of his now manifested idol from the wall, his hands moving faster than he ever thought possible.

"What the hell Yuuri?" Celestino yelled through the door and Yuuri gasped as he saw the handle turning from where he stood on his bed. Quickly throwing a blanket over the pile of posters he'd torn down, Yuuri backed up against the wall, hiding the last two from view just as Celestino walked in frowning at his young student. Chest heaving, Yuuri looked down as Viktor also walked in, eyes darting around the room and smiling up at Yuuri before giving him a little wave.

"I'm so glad you aren't' paralyzed after all Yuuri," he purred and Yuuri felt his cheeks flush at the sound of his own name uttered by those perfect lips. Blue eyes surveyed the spots on the wall where tape and pins still stood, obvious clues to the poster that once graced them, before darting down to the blanket that not so successfully hid said posters. A corner or two still peaked out, though thankfully no tell tale signs of Viktor's printed face showed.

"I'll just show you the kitchen then," Celestino said, walking out and leaving Viktor and Yuuri alone in the room.

"You know," Viktor said softly, his eyes darting from the partially covered posters up to Yuuri, "It's not like I've never seen a naked woman before."

Yuuri frowned down at the other man and finally recalled how to speak. "Huh?"

"You don't have to hid them, I won't judge."

"I'm not sure…"

"The posters? Didn't you take them down just now because you didn't want to offend me?" Viktor cocked his head to the side smiling mischievously.

Of course just then Phichit took the opportunity to walk in. "Oh wow Yuuri you took down all your posters of…"

"OF NAKED WOMEN?" Yuuri said, a bit too loudly, his eyes darting from Phichit to Vikor and back again with what he hoped was a lot of conveyed hints.

"What? Oh yeah. Naked women. And I must say, it's about time," Phichit scolded. "I'm glad you've decided to stop longing over them and go out on a real date." His eyes twinkled at Yuuri as he slightly inclined his chin toward Viktor.

"Oh," Viktor said a bit sadly before looking back at Yuuri. "Well I...I'd better go see the kitchen then." Silver hair flashed over his shoulder as Viktor walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

Yuuri took the opportunity to quickly snatch the last two posters from his wall, hide them under the pile and slide down onto the bed. Phichit immediately joined him, back resting against the wall as they sat shoulder to shoulder.

"Don't laugh," Yuuri said pointedly as the man beside him shook with mirth.

"But I can't help it. You and your posters of 'naked women!'" Phichit doubled over and Yuuri banged his head softly against the wall.

"Phichit, please, this is a nightmare. What will I do?" Yuuri moaned.

Putting an arm over his friend's shoulder, Phichit bit back his laughter and tried to take the situation seriously. "Look, you're overreacting. Just take some deep breaths and try to act normal. He's just a guy."

"But what is Viktor doing here? Shouldn't he be in Russia? Does he think this is Russia? Oh my god are we actually in Russia?!"

"Yuuri, okay remember the deep breath thing?" Phichit said soothingly as Yuuri attempted to calm himself. "I have no idea, but if you try to talk to him instead of just letting your mouth go dry I'm sure we could find out."

"Right, okay, yeah I can do this," Yuuri said, smiling over at his friend and remembering to breath for the first time since his idol walked into his life.

A short knock on the door followed by a silver head of hair peeking in made him instantly forget once again.

"Oh, sorry," Viktor said, frowning slightly at the two men on the bed. "I can come back…"

"What? Oh no, you're fine," Phichit said happily as he kicked off the bed. "What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering," Viktor looked to Yuuri, "if maybe you wanted to get some food? I haven't eaten since, well I really don't know anymore, this time change has me all mixed up." He smiled softly, scratching the back of his head, his eyes looking tiredly between the two men.

"I have to study," Yuuri said quickly, looking up just in time to see Viktor's face fall.

"Oh," he said, before replacing his disappointment with a smile. "Sorry, I thought classes didn't start till tomorrow?"

"They don't," Phichit said, looking pointedly at Yuuri before turning back to Viktor and flashing a grin. "I'll go with you though, I don't have any studying."

"Would you? Thank you Phichit. Maybe next time Yuuri?" Viktor said hopefully and when Yuuri just stared at him his eyes lost their sparkle and he looked away.

"Um, I'll just get ready, meet you in the kitchen in five?" Phichit said and Viktor nodded, casting a last glance at Yuuri before leaving.

As the door closed behind Viktor, Phichit gave his friend a disparaging look. "Yuuuuuri," he said, dragging his name out.

"I know, I know. I froze again."

"And were acting incredibly rude! Why can't you eat with him?" Phichit scolded.

"I don't know? I need to plan what I'd say, how to dress, what I'd order…"

"Oh my god Yuuri!"

"Look, I need you to do me a favor," Yuuri said, crawling forward on the bed toward his friend.

"Okay?" Phichit replied warily.

"Find out his class schedule for me? Please?"

"Why, so you can make sure you don't run into him?" Phichit said in exasperation.

"Maybe?" Yuuri said, though mostly he just wanted to insure he didn't have to practice at the same time as Viktor. Having Viktor skate with him, watching as he flubbed his jumps and landed time after time on his ass would probably keep him from ever taking to the ice again. So if he could find out when Viktor had class and try to skate at those times…

"Yuuri?" Phichit said, snapping him back to reality. "I'll do this, but please, please tell me you'll try with Viktor? Just one normal conversation. I know you can do it."

"Of course I'll try. You think I want to be a nervous wreck around him? I've worshipped him for years, he's everything I've ever wanted to be. It's just…"

"I know, just try to not let your anxiety get the best of you. He's just a man. Okay?"

"Yeah," Yuuri sighed as Phichit gripped his shoulder in solidarity.

Turning, Phichit grabbed his coat from the closet and pulled it on while Yuuri stared off into space, his brain on overdrive.

"Look, just take this time to think up things to talk about with him. Like skating. And classes. Maybe your dogs? It'll be a lot easier than you think okay? I'll be back in a bit," Phichit said, opening the door.

"Phichit?" Yuuri said softly and the other man turned. "Thanks. Really."

Phichit smiled. "I'll put in a good word for you okay?"

"I think it'll take more than a word for him to not see me as a freak, but thanks," Yuuri laughed as Phichit shook his head and shut the door behind him.

Sighing Yuuri opened his laptop and tried to watch tv but his mind was so awash in a chaotic whirlwind of Viktor emotions that he just couldn't concentrate. What on earth was Russia's star skater doing in Detroit, going to his school, being taught by his coach? There had been no news about Viktor leaving Yakov for a new coach, no drama about a falling out with the Russian team. Granted, he wasn't very savvy with social media, but Phichit sure was. His Thai friend had been trying to get Yuuri to post more to his Facebook page ever since he'd helped him set it up, though now his newest obsession was Instagram. Yuuri sighed again. He hoped this newest app would phase out soon, he really did not want to have to get another social media account.

Regardless, if there had been any new info on Viktor, Phichit would surely have told him, Yuuri reasoned. But if there was no drama...he racked his brain but felt like he was missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

Shaking his head, Yuuri got up and carefully rolled his poor abused posters, tucking them carefully into his closet. He then stared at his computer, the wall, the ceiling, and then his holey sock for the next hour and a half until he heard the front door open.

Mind suddenly once again in primal fight or flight mode, Yuuri dove under his covers, hoping that if Phichit brought Viktor into their room he could pretend to be asleep. With the lights on. Damn it.

And he still hadn't thought of a single interesting thing to say to Viktor. At least they didn't actually share a room.

Moments later after some muffled words in the hallway Yuuri heard their bedroom door open and shut followed by the weight of someone sitting at the foot of his bed.

"Yuuri," Phichit sighed, and Yuuri peaked over the top of his cover, finding only his roommate who was staring exasperatedly at him.

"If you're done hiding," Phichit began and cut Yuuri off with a glare before he could contest, "I've found out some things that you might want to hear."

"Oh," responded Yuuri, feigning nonchalance as he sat up in bed and smoothed the covers. "So how was dinner?"

"It was quite normal actually. Viktor's very easy to talk to, you're going to be fine. Really Yuuri. I get it, you've got anxiety, but get it out tonight and try to make a go of things with him tomorrow okay?"

Yuuri nodded, wishing it were only that simple. "So…?"

"Well looks like he's here for at least the semester. I'm not sure if he's getting a degree though, such odd class choices. Modern dance, Costuming 101, The Art of Opera? I don't think he understands what general ed classes are but his course load will definitely be interesting."

"Huh, well did you find out why he's here?" Yuuri asked.

"He actually was pretty vague about that. Something about branching out with skating and finding his passion? Not really sure," Phichit said, taking off his jacket and folding it in his lap.

"Oh," Yuuri wondered about that but perhaps Viktor would say more when he was less jet lagged. "Well, did you talk about anything else?"

"What, you mean like you?" Phichit teased, "As a matter of fact he did ask about you. Nothing big, just if you were feeling alright and if you skated a lot during the week."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well I said you were just a bit shocked tonight-don't worry I didn't tell him you have anxiety," Yuuri sighed a Phichit continued, "but then he did ask a rather odd question."

"Oh? What?"

"He seemed almost nervous, it was kind of cute. But he asked if you and I were dating," Phichit snorted.

"Wait, what?" Yuuri almost yelled. "Why...how? Huh?"

"I guess maybe he got the wrong idea when he walked in on the two of us sitting in bed together," Phichit laughed. "Anyway, I swear he seemed almost relieved when I told him you were single."

"Ugg...did you have to phrase it that way?" Yuuri groaned. He sounded so pathetic.

Phichit only laughed more. "Look, you need to just treat him like anyone else. It's going to be fine, tomorrow will be easy, I promise."

-To be continued in Chapter 2

If you love YOI art like the beautiful cover for this fic, be sure to check out my amazing friend Pikuchwan's Redbubble: people/pikuchwan


	2. Chapter 2

Yuuri on Ice and it's characters do not belong to me

...

Sadly no amount of Phichit promises could make the next day any better for Yuuri. Every attempt at sleep had ended with tossing and turning through worst case scenarios with Viktor, so when his alarm went off at 6 am Yuuri had barely gotten three solid hours of rest.

Reasoning Viktor would probably sleep in as he adjusted to the time zone, Yuuri wanted to get to the rink early to skate away from the prying eyes of the man he most looked up to on the ice. Instead of getting a good workout in though, he was an absolute wreck, falling constantly and even banging his head into a wall at one point. Luckily no one saw, Celestino only came in the late afternoon and weekends and gave his students drills to practice during the irregular schedules college courses demanded. A bloody nose and multiple bruises later, Yuuri gave it up as a lost cause, then cried in the bathroom for a half hour before showering and heading to his first class.

Two classes later and Yuuri could barely remember his own name much less stand up straight. He wasn't sure if his body or mind was more fatigued. Luckily he had time between now and his third class of the day to get in a quick nap. Yuuri sighed in relief when he found no one at home and within moments of laying down on his bed he was completely out.

After a barrage of Viktor dreams, one in which the man was a strangely attractive llama, Yuuri blearily fought his way back to the land of the living. Rubbing his eyes he yawned, slightly wishing Viktor actually was a llama because then talking to him wouldn't be such an ordeal. He wondered what llamas ate...

Only when he grabbed his phone did Yuuri realize he'd forgotten to set his alarm. Blinking a half dozen times, Yuuri ascertained with a groan that he was indeed a half hour late to class. Cursing and fighting the bedsheets, Yuuri tumbled from bed, grabbed his backpack and glasses and rushed towards the door, hoping to leave quickly. But of course today was not his day.

"Oh Yuuri," Viktor said and Yuuri whipped his head around to the kitchen table as he ran past. Damn, he'd almost forgotten about the other man in his haste to leave. "Are you off to class? I just got home, maybe later we could…"

"Sorry llama," Yuuri said before frowning, realizing something was wrong with that. Viktor was staring and cocking his head to the side and only then did Yuuri realize his slip. "I mean Viktor. Late. Overslept. Nap. Er later?" God why could he no longer form complete sentences?

"Uh, sure. Good luck?" Viktor said tentatively as Yuuri nodded and rushed from the room. He couldn't help one last look over his shoulder thought. Damn, even jet-legged Viktor was stunning. His long silver hair was swept back from his face in a ponytail and a soft white sweater hung off his frame, making him look incredibly snuggly. He was looking down at his hands, folded in front of him on the kitchen table, only the fingers peaking through the long sleeves. And, unless Yuuri was imagining things, his new flatmate looked incredibly depressed. Yuuri mentally bashed himself, he never wanted to be the cause of a frown on that beautiful face.

"Um, Viktor?" Yuuri said softly and the other man whipped his head up, blue eyes staring sadly into his own. "Bye."

It was incredible how just that little bit of acknowledgement seemed to turn Viktor into an entirely different person. His heart shaped mouth took on a sweet smile and his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Bye Yuuri, I'll see you later," he said as Yuuri gave him what he hoped was more smile than grimace and walked out the door.

...ooO0Ooo...

Yuuri had been avoiding Viktor almost successfully for an entire week and a half. Initially he was elated when he had been able to say a simple goodbye to the other man without choking on his own tongue, but after that, he could not think of a single thing to say. Well not a single thing that wasn't "I've idolized you since I was a child. I know everything about you. And your dog. No I don't have a dozen posters of you on my wall. Anymore."

Normal conversation suddenly eluded him. So Yuuri instead spent as much time away from home as possible. He woke up early to practice, went to class, found coffee shops in which to do his homework, skated more when he was sure Viktor had class, ate out, and fell exhausted into bed every night. Yes, he could definitely keep this up for the next five months.

"This is just getting ridiculous," Phichit sighed as the slipped into the seat across from Yuuri in the campus coffee shop.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yuuri replied, sipping from his fifth refill of coffee and running a hand through his messy hair. Had he showered today? Yesterday? It was all just a blur of skating, coffee and avoiding the most beautiful man in the world.

'Uh huh," Phichit replied, leaning back against his seat. "Look, you're worrying me. And Celestino. And even Viktor knows something is up."

"Shoot," muttered Yuuri, biting his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Viktor, but he honestly just went into such a panic when the other man was around that it was impossible to act normal. He kept playing out conversations in his head, worrying about Viktor judging him, finding him boring, being disgusted by his anxiety, and completely freaking out when he realized what a huge fan he was. No, he reasoned it was better for all if Viktor just never got to know him.

"He wants to get to know you," Phichit said in a weirdly psychic moment. ""He always asks me about you."

Yuuri took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in his hands. Phichit was obviously trying to make him feel better but it just wasn't working.

"Look, just come to dinner with us this weekend. I'll be there, you can talk almost entirely to me and it'll be easy."

"Uh huh," Yuuri said sarcastically.

"You can even tell him you're a fan. I did, he just laughed. It's nothing weird to him, I'm sure it happens all the time. Please?"

"I…" Yuuri started.

"I'll be right there, keeping the conversation going. You can see how great he is and it'll take away some of your anxiety. Please, the tension in the house is just killing me," Phichit whinned.

"I already know how great he is," Yuuri sighed but then looked over at his pleading roommate, "But I'll do it. Mostly for you."

"Yay," Phichit yelled as he flung himself across the table at Yuuri, almost spilling the coffee. "Okay I"m off to class but I'll see you later. Go home and rest. Now. Promise me?"

"Okay okay," Yuuri said, throwing his books into his backpack to show Phichit he was taking his advice to heart.

"I'll see you later," Phichit waved as he dashed gleefully out the door.

Yuuri gathered his pens, threw some bills on the table for the busser and begrudgingly made his way home. It was only Wednesday, he had three more days until the weekend to think up how to survive dinner with his idol. Maybe he could even say hi to Viktor once he got home, how hard could it be?

Heart hammering in his chest, Yuuri turned the key to his flat and peaked in, relieved at the absence of a silver-haired god of skating in the kitchen and living room. Letting out a deep breath Yuuri headed to his own room, throwing his backpack and coat onto the bed and walking back into the kitchen to grab some water before he finished studying.

The creak of the door did not give Yuuri enough warning as he suddenly came face to face with his idol. Viktor had hastily exited the bathroom, clad only in a towel slung low on his lean hips, long silver hair hanging in damp strands down his chest and toned shoulders.

"Oh god!" Yuuri shouted, caught off guard not only by surprise but at how incredibly gorgeous the other man looked. Backing up, he hit his head soundly on the wall behind and fell to the ground, finding himself suddenly looking up at a towel-clad vision that started worriedly toward him.

"Are you okay?" Viktor asked, bending down beside Yuuri, taking his head between damp fingers that grazed over his scalp.

Yuuri could only groan. Viktor was touching him. And his face was less than a foot from his own, his towel falling open to show off pale firm thighs. Yuuri shuddered.

"Yuuri, Yuuri talk to me! Please!" Viktor shouted, taking his chin and tilting Yuuri's face toward his own. "Do I need to call an ambulance?"

Only then did Yuuri realized that the other man had taken his stunned state for injury rather than the pure shock and overwhelming awe at Viktor's beauty that it actually was. If only he could remember how his mouth worked he could probably rectify this situation. Except that Viktor was once again stroking his scalp and he kind of never wanted it to stop.

"Shoot, I don't have my phone, please tell me you're carrying one," Viktor said to himself as he reached for Yuuri's back pocket. With a yelp, Yuuri finally found his voice. Nothing like your idol grabbing your ass to bring you back to reality.

"Sorry, I...I was just stunned. I'm fine," Yuuri said, amazed at the full sentences he was able to form.

A sigh of relief left the other man as he took both Yuuri's shoulders in a firm grip. "I really think we should call an ambulance, you couldn't even respond to me, it might be serious."

"What? No, I barely felt it. I just...you...you're so…" Yuuri let out a sigh and accidentally banged his head back against the wall again. He winced before seconds later a hand was in his hair, long fingers massaging his scalp.

"Yuuri…" Viktor's voice pleaded and he opened his eyes to see the other man's face full of concern. "What hurts?"

"My pride?" Yuuri said after a moment and Viktor cocked his head to the side before both let out a short laugh. Shaking his head, Viktor turned so he leaned on the wall next to Yuuri.

"Damn, you really scared me for a second," Viktor said, and it was only then that Yuuri realized how much he must've frightened the other man. Yuuri watched as he looked down at his hands, a tremor visible before he clasped them in his lap.

"You...you scared me first," Yuuri said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Maybe from now on I'll yell before getting out of the shower," Viktor chuckled, playing with the edge of his towel.

Yuuri shook his head and attempted to look forward, anywhere but the towel that was doing its damndest to slide open to reveal Viktor's entire beautifully muscled thigh beside him.

"Umm, well I'd better finish my homework," Yuuri stated, slowly levering himself up the wall.

"Oh, right, but…" Viktor started, glancing worriedly at Yuuri, "maybe just in case you hit your head, I mean I don't want you to have a concussion...you could study out here? With me?"

"Oh," Yuuri replied dumbly. Viktor seemed genuinely concerned about him, and while he was quite ready to scramble into his room and escape the humiliation that had been the last two minutes of his life, he also didn't want to hurt Viktor's feelings. Maybe this could be one of those stepping stones Phichit had been attempting to get him to use to get over his anxiety.

"Yeah, alright," he said, taking a step back when Viktor straightened up and stood just a bit too close beside him. Damn that towel was losing to gravity and fast.

"You, you will? Right, yeah, okay let me just grab my books. And change," Viktor laughed a bit, finally realizing how his towel just barely hugged his hips. "Wouldn't want to end up studying naked with me would you?"

Yuuri turned away before Viktor could see his blush. Damn he was not going to be making this easy.

Continued in Chapter 3

Okay I'm not the only one whose read the Llama Viktor doujinshi right? (If you haven't I think it's on MyReadingManga...I swear there's nothing gross it's just hilarious!)

Also the beautiful cover art for this is done by my amazing friend Pikuchwan, check out here Redbubble to see all her amazing YOI art! people/pikuchwan


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn, I can't believe you survived studying with Viktor, you deserve a medal," Phichit laughed as he sat having lunch with Yuuri the next day.

"I swear I set a world record for not breathing for the first ten minutes," Yuuri replied, shaking his head. "I kept thinking he was watching me, but then when I'd look up he was studying so…"

"And we all know you're not prone to exaggerate or imagine things," Phichit giggled. "So, did you talk at all?"

"Talk? No, not since I could no longer think in English...or any language after his towel practically slid off his body."

"Hmm, sounds horrible," Phichit said, stirring his bubble tea with a straw. "So when are you going to show up to skate with everyone again?"

"What? I'm not avoiding…" Yuuri started then realized what he'd said. "Look, I really want to. But to have _the_ Viktor Nikiforov, watch ME skate...I just know I'd flub every jump. Hell I'd probably forget to take my guards off before getting on the ice. I just need to get used to him…"

"And you plan to do this how?"

"Well, dinner. We're still having dinner Saturday right?" Yuuri asked tentatively.

"Have you asked him?"

"Do you _think_ I've asked him?" Yuuri replied, almost faceplanting into his half eaten sandwich.

Phichit laughed and used his straw to poke Yuuri until he took his nose out of the wheat loaf. "I'm kidding, you know I asked him already. He's looking forward to it!"

"Aren't we all?" Yuuri sighed.

Come Saturday, Yuuri had flung his entire wardrobe onto his bed in an apparently fruitless attempt to find something to wear to dinner.

Phichit sat lazily on his own bed, scrolling through Instagram as Yuuri fretted away.

"Why do I only own workout clothes? Phichit why didn't you tell me to expand my wardrobe?" Yuuri whined as he threw three of the exact same black and blue track pants into a pile.

"Hmm?" replied Phichit, no longer paying attention after the first hour of Yuuri playing dressup.

"Phichit, is there time to go shopping do you think?"

"What? No, why? You've got clothes...in that pile. And that pile," Phichit replied, gesturing lazily.

"No, but I need something that won't make Viktor think I'm a total slob," Yuuri replied.

"Well what about the jeans I made you buy last Black Friday? They'd go great with one of the dress shirts I gave you last Christmas…" Phichit started as Yuuri dove back into his closet.

"Oh I almost forgot!" Yuuri's muffled voice said triumphantly as he uncovered two unopened shopping bags from the closet floor. Shucking off his current clothes, Yuuri pulled on the jeans, hopping around just a bit.

"Are they supposed to be this tight?" he asked his friend, finally sliding the denim over his thighs.

"They're called skinny jeans. Don't worry, Viktor will love them," Phichit said without looking up from his Instagram feed.

"Which of the shirts will go with these stripper jeans?" Yuuri muttered, laying the three colored shirts on the bed and cocking his head at them.

"The light blue," Phichit supplied, still glued to his screen.

Carefully Yuuri unfolded the shirt and put it on, doing up the buttons before stepping over to the mirror. Really, he hardly recognized himself. He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

"Damn, maybe I will rethink dating you," Phichit whistled from the bed.

"Oh shut up, I feel...strange."

"Well you look hot. Seriously. Weirdly hot," Phichit replied and snapped a photo.

"Don't...Phichit," Yuuri said.

"Too late, it's already posted," Phichit smiled and sat up from the bed. "Ready for your date?"

"Please don't say the 'd' word...or any 'd' word," Yuuri corrected when he saw Phichit about to hop in with a joke. "Just...I guess 'dinner' is okay though."

"You'll be fine. Come on, let's see if Viktor's ready."

Walking into the dinning room, the two men found Viktor sitting at the table looking at his phone. As they entered his head snapped up and a beautiful smile spread across his face. Yuuri felt himself grin back, damn that man's happiness was contagious. It looked like Viktor had put a bit of thought into his wardrobe as well. A stylish tan coat covered a heather grey woven shirt, one side tucked slightly into dark jeans to perfectly accentuate how tight they were. Yuuri swallowed.

Running his fingers through his hair, Viktor pushed the long fringe back from his face. "I was worried I was over dressed but you both look really nice," Viktor said, staring straight at Yuuri. Phichit laughed.

"Oh, um thanks," Yuuri replied, biting his lip nervously.

"Well if you two are finished, I'm famished," Phichit said, shaking his head and making his way out of the kitchen. Yuuri let out a shaky laugh and followed through the door that Phichit held open for them both. As they reached the street corner Phichit paused for a second, letting Viktor walk ahead as he whispered in Yuuri's ear. "Viktor was totally checking out your ass by the way."

"What?" Yuuri whisper-yelled back as quietly as he could. "Stop you're just making things worse!"

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth," Phichit said innocently before speeding up to walk toward Viktor who had stopped to look back at them.

"Everything alright?" Viktor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Phichit replied, all but skipping ahead. "I was just telling Yuuri he should wear dress shirts more often."

"Dress shirts?" Viktor said, cocking his head to the side. "It's such a weird word."

"I know!" Yuuri replied without thinking. "It's not a dress! And you can get dressed, be dressy, or wear a dress! And then there's salad dressing...English is so confusing."

Viktor simply stared before he burst out laughing. Yuuri flushed and ducked his head. Damn, he'd made a fool of himself again.

"I completely agree," Viktor said, shaking his head. "The first time I skated in America, they told me to 'get dressed' and I told them no, I was wearing pants!"

Now it was Yuuri's turn to burst out laughing. Phichit simply looked between the two of them and rolled his eyes. "I suddenly feel like I have two new grandpas," he muttered before trotting ahead.

"What other English words confuse you?" Viktor asked as the two of them sped up their pace to catch up to Phichit.

"Well there's 'sake' and 'sake,' which is confusing because they're spelled the same but you can only drink one," Yuuri said nervously.

"Mmm, right!" Viktor agreed, "I heard movie titles are translate very differently in Japanese too."

"Oh yeah, like um, "Rapunzel of the Top of the Tower" is just "Tangled" here and then "The King Who Became A Llama" is "The Emperor's New Groove?" What does that even mean?"

"You really like cartoons don't you?" Viktor laughed.

"What? Oh...well I mean, yeah but those were just examples," Yuuri said, running a hand back through his hair self consciously.

"Don't worry, I do too. I just don't have much time to watch them," Viktor said sadly, looking down.

"Yeah, me neither," Yuuri agreed. Shit, the last thing he had wanted to do was draw attention to this pathetic social life. He bet Viktor had all types of friends and fans constantly surrounding him, doing fun things, visiting exciting places. And here he couldn't even find time to watch his favorite tv shows.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air and he turned to see Viktor looking down forlornly, probably thinking about how sad Yuuri's social life was, he reasoned.

"Yuuri," Viktor said after a minute and Yuuri tried not to blush at how beautiful his name sounded coming from those perfect lips, "I was just wondering why I haven't seen you at practice?"

Damn, Yuuri thought. He'd noticed. Of course he had, Viktor wasn't stupid. Turning to Phichit, Yuuri gave his friend a pleading look which was returned by a very 'you're on your own' shake of Phichit's head.

"Well, lately I kind of..." Yuuri trailed off, unsure how to proceed. It's not like he could tell the other man he had changed his schedule around completely to avoid him.

"Wait, are you injured?" Viktor said in shock, putting a hand to Yuuri's shoulder.

Yuuri quickly jumped away from his idol's amazingly strong beautiful hand and right into a giant metal mailbox.

"Well now he is!" Phichit laughed and hurried over as Yuuri almost fell over in surprise, gripping his side.

"Damn that hurt," Yuuri winced as he tried to straighten.

"Yuuri I...are you okay?" Viktor said, reaching out a hand and then thinking better and retracting it.

"Yeah, sorry just kind of...tripped," Yuuri lied and felt his side. Luckily the pain wasn't bad, nothing he couldn't walk off.

"Did you want to head back and rest or…?" Viktor started.

"What? No no," Yuuri waved his hands. This would be the perfect opportunity to retreat and end this night which seemed destined to be filled with humiliation for him, but honestly he had gotten this far with Viktor and wanted to try. Plus he was pretty hungry.

"Okay if you're sure," Viktor said somewhat skeptically as they continued on.

"Don't worry, he's had much worse falls in practice," Phichit supplied with a grin.

"Thanks Phichit," Yuuri grit his teeth at his friend.

"We all fall," Viktor laughed, "this one time my whole thigh was black and blue for two weeks, I looked like a dalmation."

Yuuri laughed. It was weird to find something funny about the pains they went through to skate, but he guessed it was a good way to make peace with them.

"Oh speaking of dogs, where's Makkachin?" Yuuri asked as they got to the restaurant. Phichit held up three fingers to the maitre d and they were taken to a table in the back.

"Oh you know my dog?" Viktor said happily, his eyes shining at the mention of his beloved poodle.

"What? Oh yeah...I mean, Phichit showed me a picture," Yuuri lied as Phichit threw him a look. Damn, he almost gave away what an obsessed fan he was. No Viktor, I know nothing about your dog or got one just like it but smaller and named it after you. Why would you think that?

"Oh," Viktor said a bit sadder. "Well, he's staying with a fellow skater back in Russia for now. Georgi said he'd take good care of him while I'm gone. Don't...I mean you have a dog too don't you Yuuri?"

Yuuri took a moment to think. He didn't remember talking about Vicchan to Viktor, he could practically count their conversations on two hands, but maybe… "Yeah, did I mention him? He's back at home, my sister and parents watch him, I miss him a lot."

"Hmm, I must've seen it on your Instagram page," Viktor said happily. "Wanna see some photos of Makkachin?" Before either could answer Viktor had pulled out his phone and scrolled through a library entirely devote to his furry companion.

"Huh I don't have an Instagram?" Yuuri pondered. "I have a Facebook page, Phichit helped me make it but not Instagram…"

"But you should!" Phichit chimed in. "You have so many fans that want to see you Yuuri. Do you even know how many 'likes' that video of you I posted a few weeks back got? Over…"

"Wait, what video?" Yuuri sighed, "Phichit, I told you, you need to stop taping my practices!"

"Well then record them yourself. And make an Instagram so I can add you."

"Me too!" Viktor said happily.

"Ugg," Yuuri put his head into his hands.

Luckily just at that moment the waiter came by to take their orders and Yuuri was saved further prodding to finally get an online social life.

"Would any of you care for something to drink? We have a wine list," the waiter said and Yuuri and Phichit laughed. Apparently, all dressed up, they looked old enough to drink.

"Well Yuuri, how about some alcohol?" Phichit teased as Viktor ordered an iced tea.

"Umm, never again thanks. I'll just have the water," Yuuri told the waiter, gesturing to his already filled glass as the waiter turned and promised to return for their entree order.

"Why, what happened?" Viktor enquired, resting his cheek in his hand as he propped an elbow on the table.

"Phichit...no," Yuuri warned pathetically but his friend simply ignored him.

"Well, when was it...three months back, right after finals, I dragged Yuuri to this party. One minute he was standing miserably in the corner, the next, I don't know what he drank, or how much, but he was the life of the party! After a round of strip poker which I had to put an end to when I learned Yuuri had no idea how to play poker, threatening to marry my three hamsters to one another and then baking a horrible batch of cookies, he locked himself in the bathroom with my phone. Through the door he told me he had to "bear his soul," and once we'd finally picked the lock he had written drunk compliments to everyone on my facebook page and passed out in the bathtub. It was hilarious!"

"Great. Yeah, hilarious," Yuuri said, ready to crawl under the shabby tablecloth.

"Oh!" Viktor exclaimed, seemingly surprised, "Maybe that's why…"

"Please stop," Yuuri said, dropping his head into his hands on the tabletop. Unfortunately his aim was off and his arm accidentally knocked over a glass of icewater right into Viktor's lap.

Viktor swore in Russian and hastily jumped up, glaring at the offending water as he attempted to shuck it off.

Yuuri could only lift his head in horror. Viktor looked so mad. This was it. His idol hated him, what a horrible end to things.

"Sorry," Yuuri muttered as he quickly backed out of his chair and raced to the bathroom. Damn it damn it damn it. He'd ruined everything. Viktor would never forgive him. Maybe he should move out tomorrow. Or even go back to Japan. Shutting himself in a stall, Yuuri put down the toilet seat and sat with his head in his hands, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

Why did he always have to make such a mess of things? He couldn't even go to dinner without fucking everything up. Unable to hold back, Yuuri let out a woeful sob.

"Yuuri?"

At his name, Yuuri raised his head. Damn it. For a second he thought it was only Phichit. But instead…

"Yuuri, you're in here right?" came a beautiful Russian accent. "I can see your shoes beneath the door."

Damn it. Wait why did Viktor remember what shoes he wore?

The stall jiggle. "Yuuri. Open the door."

Well here it was. He was about to be berated by Viktor Nikiforov, the man he… Yuuri couldn't even put into words what Viktor meant to him. Another tear slid down Yuuri's reddened cheeks.

He might as well get it over with. Standing, and wiping away his tears, he undid the latch and looked down at his feet. Yuuri hope Viktor couldn't see he'd been crying.

Suddenly, warm arms embrace him. Viktor held him tight, his strong hands running soothingly along his back.

"Hey, it's okay," Viktor said softly into his neck.

What the hell was going on? Yuuri wondered to himself, frozen in the other man's grasp. His tongue felt dry in his throat though a million questions sprung to mind. This was not the scenario he had played out in his head and it was frankly shocking him into a stupor.

"Did you think I was mad?" Viktor asked after a moment, to which Yuuri could only nod.

Viktor let out a soft laugh. "Yuuri, it was just an accident."

"But," Yuuri said, finally finding his voice, "You looked so angry."

"Well that water was really cold!" Viktor exclaimed and chuckle. "But it was just water. And even if it was something else, I wouldn't care."

"Oh," was all Yuuri could reply.

Viktor pulled away, tilting his head so he could look Yuuri in the eye. Yuuri tried to look away. He knew his eyes were red. He probably looked hideous. But Viktor took him gently by the neck and then pressed their foreheads together for a split second. Then the moment was over and Yuuri knew he was just staring with his mouth open. What the hell was that?

"Help me grab some paper towels, I'm still kind of wet," Viktor laughed and Yuuri almost died.

"Um, yeah, sorry again," Yuuri said, wiping his nose and handing the other man some tissues to dry off his pants.

"Seriously, don't worry about it," Viktor said happily, like Yuuri had just given him a birthday present instead of spilled freezing water on him.

After a minute of dabbing at his crotch, to which Yuuri looked disinterestedly away, Viktor smiled at him and they made their way back to the table. Phichit sat worriedly, staring at them both. His phone wasn't even out.

"Are you...okay?" Phichit whispered as Yuuri sat down.

Yuuri nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"I was going to go after you but Viktor insisted," he said quietly.

"It's okay. I'm glad he did. Thanks," Yuuri said, smiling a bit.

"Oh, okay good," Phichit grinned back.

"So, are you all ready to order?" the waiter asked, returning with a notepad.

As they nodded their assent, he turned to Viktor first.

"I'll have the roast chicken please."

"It comes with a side salad, what kind of dressing would you like?"

"Yuuri! My salad is dressed!" Viktor laughed.

Yuuri laughed as well as the waiter continued in confusion. "We have Thousand Island, Ranch…"

"Are there cowboys on it?" Viktor asked in all seriousness.

"What if he only wants Five Hundred Islands?" Yuuri interrupted and they both burst out laughing again.

Phichit simply rolled his eyes and gave the waiter a pleading look. "Could you come back in a minute, when my friends are less insane please?"


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later and Yuuri still couldn't stop thinking about that night with Viktor. Luckily his first class of the day was a rather dull history lecture he took along with Phichit. The professor droned monotonously on about things he never tested on, so the two usually sat in the back and chatted.

"I seriously can't believe what a fool I made of myself," Yuuri sighed as Phichit doodled a hamster on the sides of his notes.

"Well at least the rest of the night went smoothly," Phichit whispered, "I mean, after you ran into a mailbox and then spilled ice water all over Viktor's crotch."

"I guess…" Yuuri replied.

"What do you mean 'you guess?'" Phichit said, "Yuuri, the...I don't know...vibe he was putting out toward you...did you really not notice?"

"He's just being nice," Yuuri replied. "I mean, he's...him! Why would he be interested in me? I just don't believe it."

"Maybe cause you're one of the top figure skaters in the world?"

"Well he's the number one skater so…"

"Okay obviously he can't like you then," Phichit sighed sarcastically, "Maybe cause you're nice? Or cute? Or he's just got yellow fever," Yuuri's eyes went wide, "I'm just kidding. But seriously, he likes you. I can tell."

"I still don't believe it," Yuuri muttered, "but I believe YOU believe it."

"Well that's a start," Phichit replied. "Maybe try to hang out with him again. Without me. Seriously, you don't know how hard it was for me to be around you two and want to jump into conversations! But then I knew I needed to let you have some space to get to know him...it was torture!"

"Wait, so it was torture when I didn't want to speak to him, but now it's torture when I talk to him...Phichit make up your mind," Yuuri chuckled and a girl in front of him turned around to give him a shush and a glare.

Yuuri gave the girl an apologetic shrug and turned back to whisper with Phichit. Even though he didn't believe it, there was still questions. Like what the hell was that moment they shared after the hug, where Viktor leaned in so close and touched his forehead to his own. That was surely not normal, not something friends did. Even weird Russian friends.

Morning dragged into afternoon and Yuuri finally got a break between classes. Wolfing down a sandwich on his way home, he decided to take advantage of his next free hour and think on his Viktor situation. Unfortunately for Yuuri, that very situation presented itself sitting at the kitchen table when he entered the house.

"Oh, Yuuri!" Viktor said pleasantly, looking up from his books.

"Hey," Yuuri replied, biting his lip. Damn Phichit for not coming home with him, now it was just he and Viktor, alone in the house.

"Did you just get back from class?" the other man asked as Yuuri set his backpack on a free chair.

"Yeah, Phichit and I have history together," Yuuri replied.

"Oh, must be nice having a friend in class," Viktor said, somewhat sadly.

"Er yeah. Have you...you know, met any new friends since moving here?" Yuuri asked in trepidation.

"Um, well, there's you and Phichit," Viktor replied. "I guess I've been so focused on skating and trying to understand the lectures in English...it's so hard Yuuri!"

Yuuri's eyes widened as Viktor let out a dramatic wail and put his head in his hands.

"Yeah, I know," Yuuri said, pulling up a chair next to Viktor. "My first year here, I was so confused during classes. So I decided to find the blondest person in the room, sit next to them, and copy their notes."

"The blondest?" Viktor started to laugh.

"Well, I figured they would be the best at english. Stupid, I know. Especially when I sat next to a guy in Statistic who happened to be a swiss exchange student. At least we're still friends. He's a skater too, Christophe Giacometti, maybe you know him?"

"Oh Chris!" Viktor said, "Did he hit on you? He's quite the flirt."

"Err," Yuuri blushed and ducked his head, remembering multiple ass grabs from said swiss skater. "Maybe. Anyway, I can help you, I mean if you need. My english isn't perfect but I've gotten better."

"Well I am the blondest person in most rooms, so I guess we're destined to study together," Viktor chuckled. "Say, um have you had lunch yet? I was thinking of going out…"

"Oh," Yuuri said, furrowing his brow. "Actually I ate on the way over," Yurri watched Viktor's face fall, "But I'd love some coffee before class starts in an hour. If, I don't know, maybe you could get a sandwich there or something?"

"That would be perfect," Viktor said, grabbing his jacket from behind his chair.

Yuuri took the moment to appreciate Viktor's impeccable aesthetic today. A long grey coat hung over even darker grey jeans, and his shiny silver hair was pulled over one shoulder in a loose braid. He looked stunning. As always.

Realizing he was staring, Yuuri turned to grab his backpack and take a deep breath to slow his racing heartbeat. It was just unfair what Viktor did to him without even trying.

Viktor seemed to realize Yuuri had stalled as he laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah sorry, let's go get you some lunch," Yuuri replied.

Yuuri watched Viktor smile as they walked down to a nearby coffee shop. Though he was still nervous in the other man's company, he appreciated how easy-going Viktor was, how he seemed to take Yuuri's bumbling manner and anxiety in stride and not make a big deal of either.

As they entered the coffee shop, both men stood in the que, Viktor craning his neck to read the lunch specials from the overly-hipster chalkboards.

"Why don't you go grab us a table and just tell me what you want?" Yuuri said, eyeing the crowded room, hoping there even was an available seat.

"Oh, okay, um, let me get...the uh...I don't know some of these ingredients," Viktor confessed, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's okay I can order you something, is there any meat or veggies you don't like?"

"Just peas," Viktor said, pulling a frown.

"Shoot, all the bread is made with peas, I forgot to tell you," Yuuri replied with a straight face.

Viktor held his chest, gasping in horror.

Breaking into a smile, Yuuri threw his head back and laughed. "I'm just kidding."

Viktor shook his head. "I'll get you back you know," he chuckled, "Oh look a table, I'll go grab it!"

Still laughing, Yuuri watched as Viktor flung his silver braid over his shoulder and made a beeline for the vacated seats.

Within five minutes Yuuri had made it to the front of the line, ordered, and returned to find Viktor sitting and waiting, tapping away on his phone.

"They'll bring out the food and my coffee when it's ready," he explained, putting his backpack over the back of the chair and taking a seat. "You looking at Facebook?"

"Ah, Instagram actually. I have a Facebook page, but it's a not a personal one. I don't have time for two social media accounts, so I just send my Instagram photos to the fans who run my public page there."

"Wow," Yuuri said, momentarily having forgotten he was having coffee with the world's top male figure skater. "So um, what do you think of Celestino as a coach?"

"Oh, he's good, very different than Yakov," Viktor laughed.

"Ah, I bet you miss him," Yuuri replied.

"Can you miss someone who's constantly yelling at you?" Viktor asked.

"Well…"

"Okay yeah I miss him. A lot actually."

"And Makkachin too I bet," Yuuri said, feeling sad for the other man. He could relate. Leaving everyone and everything you knew and loved was beyond difficult.

"Yeah," Viktor sighed, then perked up unexpectedly. "Actually Georgi just sent me a photo of him, wanna see?"

Both men awwed over the photo of Makkachin sleeping with his head on his fluffy brown paws, drooling on Georgi's sofa. Viktor was about to show Yuuri more photos when a message appeared, scrawled in all caps over the screen.

"Oh shoot, it's Yakov," Viktor said, a bit embarrassed. "I guess he's really angry, he's writing in english."

"IF U FORGOT RUSSIAN, HERES ENGLISH, GET UR ASS BACK 2 RUSSIA," came the first text as both men laughed.

"Guess he misses you too," Yuuri replied as they continued to look at photos.

"I CANT BELIEVE U LEFT 4 A BOYFRIEND," came another angry text.

"Haha, oh Yakov," Viktor chuckled, shutting off his messages.

Yuuri wasn't sure why he felt like his heart was suddenly breaking. Viktor had a boyfriend. Of course he did. And that's why he was here in Detroit. It all made sense.

"Here's your coffee and sandwich," a waiter said, placing a steaming cup in front of a visibly shaken Yuuri. He couldn't even respond to say thank you. It was so stupid. He felt so stupid. Getting even the tiniest hope up...it wasn't even his hope. Phichit had given him the idea. The incredibly unlikely idea that Viktor might be interested in him.

At least Viktor didn't seem to notice. He took a huge bite of his sandwich before closing his eyes and moaning in contentment. "Yuuri this is delicious!"

Yuuri barely heard him. A boyfriend. 'Viktor has a boyfriend' rolled over and over in his mind like a tidal wave.

"Yuuri?" Viktor said, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.

Sucking in a deep breath, Yuuri came back to reality. "Huh?" he replied, leaning back so Viktor no longer touched him. He missed the feel of the other man's warm fingers, but it was for the best.

Viktor looked puzzled. "The sandwich? It's really good, do you want some?"

"Ah, I'm good," Yuuri replied, far from hungry for multiple reasons. His stomach felt in knots, his head hurt as his thoughts roiled and his tongue felt dry in his mouth. At least the coffee could help with that. He took a sip and closed his eyes momentarily. Maybe this was for the best. Being around Viktor was stressful at best, but without the pressure of thinking Viktor could be interested in him, perhaps he could relax a bit-not care as much what the other man thought of him. Yeah, he could do this.

"How much was it?" Viktor asked and Yuuri blinked in confusion. "The sandwich?"

"Oh, um," Yuuri honestly couldn't remember, his thoughts were anywhere but the present, "don't worry about it, I've got it."

"Really? Wow thank you. I'll get you lunch next time," Viktor said with a wink.

Yuuri sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Damn this hurt. Why was Viktor still flirting with him? Or maybe that's how he treated everyone, it was just him being nice. That made the most sense. Viktor was so damn charismatic.

"Yuuri?" Viktor said, and only then did Yuuri realize that he hadn't heard a word the other man had been saying.

"Huh?" Yuuri tried to snap back to reality. His chest suddenly felt tight and his eyes stung slightly. Damn. "Uh sorry, what were you saying?"

"Oh are you okay?" When Yuuri nodded, Viktor cocked his head but continued. "I was asking whether you wanted to get dinner tonight. I'll be practicing till 7:30 but if you want to meet after?"

Something about practice...dinner. Yuuri blinked and tried to swallow against the tightness in his throat. His chest felt heavy, his mind swarmed with emotions, Yuuri needed to leave. Now. Before he embarrassed himself by crying. He pushed back his chair and stood, turning his head to the side.

"Yuuri?" Viktor asked, getting to his feet himself, concern written all over his beautiful face.

"Sorry, um I need to get to class," Yuuri said, grabbing his backpack and turning away completely. "I'll see you later." He hoped his voice didn't break as he all but ran from the coffee shop, Viktor left confused in his wake.

All but flying through the daily mill of students surrounding the campus, Yuuri fled until he found a secluded corner of grass under some shade trees and sank down, his back to the wall. He was so confused and humiliated. Viktor probably hated him after leaving him, alone at their table. It was just too much. Viktor having a boyfriend, asking him to dinner, touching his arm. So many mixed signals for Yuuri to attempt to understand. He wished he had time to go skate, that always helped him clear his head, to put things in perspective. But with only a half hour till class he'd have to make due with trying some breathing exercises Celestino had taught him for such stressful situations. Breathing in and out, long deep breaths until his lungs felt stretched and empty, over and over until his eyes no longer stung and his throat untightened.

Ten minutes later he was feeling much better, in body if not in mind. But Yuuri knew this would be fine. He would be fine. As before, Viktor was just an unattainable fantasy, nothing Yuuri had not dealt with for years. And from the look of things, Viktor really needed a friend. Maybe his boyfriend was incredibly busy, or even worse didn't appreciate Viktor. Leaving him lonely and eager for any attention. Yuuri would never do that to Viktor, he would be there, be his friend. That was something Yuuri could do easily without feeling the pressure of having the other man interested in him.

Yuuri sighed. He was determined to be there for Viktor. Rising, Yuuri grabbed his bag and pulled out his phone to look at the time. Ten minutes till class.

Walking back across campus he looked down at his phone, sighing deeply before shooting off a quick text to Phichit.

"You were wrong. He has a boyfriend."

Then he turned off his phone and headed into class.

Sorry this chapter is kinda character-building, not much action till the end!

Oh and yes, my head cannon is that Yakov texts like at high school girl from 2007 you're welcome


	5. Chapter 5

A couple hours later, Yuuri still had his phone off. He'd gone to class, sitting in a daze for most of the lecture, attempting and failing not to imagine Viktor with his boyfriend, until a moment of clarity snapped Yuuri out of it. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now he could be friends with Viktor without any added pressure. All the awkwardness he felt, the pressing anxiety and stress to try to live up to Viktor's imagined expectations, was completely unnecessary. He could be himself and not care about the consequences. There was a sad yet overwhelming relief in knowing that Viktor wanted nothing from him but friendship.

Yuuri sighed down at his dark phone screen. He shouldn't have texted Phichit so quickly, now he just felt stupid, like some high schooler who just found out his crush was going to prom with someone else. He weirdly didn't want to see Phichit's response. It was not like anything would help and it might make him slip back into a bout of anxiety that he was not prepared for. So Yuuri left his phone off and walked away from campus and toward the skating rink.

He hoped Viktor wouldn't take his sudden flight from the coffee shop to heart-he had no idea what the other man must have thought of him. Perhaps Viktor had grown used to his strange reactions to situations, Yuuri could only hope that it wouldn't affect their friendship, especially now that he new how lonely Viktor seemed to be.

Yuuri picked at his nails nervously as he walked, his mind barely talking in his surroundings as his feet carried him automatically upon a path he'd taken so often over the last couple years. Only once the cold air of the ice rink hit him did Yuuri realize he was already inside. Nodding to the attendant, Yuuri made his way through the lobby into the skating arena, going through the back locker rooms to bypass the stands and make his way straight to the ice.

And then Yuuri could not take his eyes off the rink. All elegance and grace, Viktor skated alone, gliding over the ice like a vision. Long fingers struck ethereal poses as he practiced his routine, dancing to music only he could hear. Viktor was so focused that he never noticed Yuuri as he took a step back from the rink's edge, leaning instead against the wall so as not to disturb the other man.

Yuuri was content simply to watch. It was not his first time seeing Viktor perform in person, yet each time enraptured him just the same. It felt exactly like when he was little, sitting in front of the tv, a huge grin plastered on his face as he watched his beautiful idol win medal after medal. Yuuri knew it was stupid, but he always felt like no one-no judges or fans-could possibly love Viktor as much as he did. He was simply inspirational.

Sighing, Yuuri smiled. Of course just then Viktor looked up and saw him. Yuuri tensed, waiting to see what the other man did. Viktor could simply ignore him, he'd have every right after Yuuri had practically-no actually-ran away from him earlier. But instead a beautiful smile spread from ear to ear and Viktor made his way over, waving like Yuuri was lost in a crowd instead of the sole other person in the entire stadium.

"Yuuri!" Vitkor shouted, speeding over to the edge and folding his forearms over the railing. "I didn't know if you'd come!"

"Oh yeah sorry about…" Yuuri started, blushing slightly before Viktor waved it off.

"Do you want to skate with me?" Viktor asked, his sentences rushed as he attempted to catch his breath. Yuuri could not help but watch his chest heave as Viktor attempted to slow his breathing. It was almost hypnotic. "Yuuri?"

"What? Oh...I...I practiced earlier actually," Yuuri replied, biting his lip.

"That's okay, um, do you still want to get dinner?" Viktor asked, looking slightly worried.

"Yeah, I mean, that's why I'm here, but if you still need to practice…"

"Oh no, I'm starved! Let me just warm down and change," Viktor said his eyes lighting up. Without waiting on a reply, Viktor glided back over the ice, skating around in slower and slower circled as Yuuri watched, enthralled.

It was amazing that even without music, without jumps, without a single flourish of his hands Viktor still looked like he was born to skate. Like he owned the ice.

After a few minutes Viktor made his way to a gap in the wall, took off his skates and sat on the floor to stretch. Yuuri made his way over, trying his hardest not to stare at Viktor's incredible ass as he bent over to touch his toes. He failed.

"What kind of food do you want?" Viktor asked, his face practically touching the floor. Damn he was limber. Yuuri shut off his brain before it could take that thought and run with it.

"Meat," Yuuri said before Viktor looked up and blinked several times. "I mean, Celestino has me on a protein diet during the week, less carbs and sugars, so…"

Viktor laughed.

"There's a good mediterranean place nearby, it has kabobs or…" Yuuri stopped to think.

"Oh that sounds perfect," Viktor said, getting up from the floor. "Would you mind if I shower first actually? I'm sure I smell horrible."

Yuuri took an involuntary deep breath. Viktor smelled incredible. He stopped himself before he said just that. "Of course."

"Do you want to come with me? To the locker room?" Viktor asked, cocking his head slightly.

Yuuri simply stared. He was sure Viktor meant it in a very innocent, come and keep me company type of way, yet all he could remember was how he had reacted to Viktor in a towel the last time. His heart skipped a beat. This was a very bad idea.

"Um actually I need to make a call so I'll just be out here?" Yuuri said it more like a question and had no idea why.

"Ah okay, I'll be right back then," Viktor said, closing his eyes as he smiled before turning to walk away.

Yuuri sunk down to the floor as soon as Viktor closed the door behind him. He so relieved that Viktor did not think less of him for his earlier anxiety, that the other man was so open-minded that he brushed it off without a second thought. The look of joy when Viktor had spotted him was too pure, too unguarded to be anything but what it seemed. Heart lighter, Yuuri gave himself a silent pep talk, that everything was okay, everything would be okay. He just needed to stop ogling Viktor's ass, thinking about him in the shower, with his boyfriend...anything that might get his hopes up or lead to another attack. But it was such a hard habit to break. He'd simply have to put away his thoughts as he did his posters, shoving them into his closet and try to move on before he embarrassed himself further.

Ten minutes later Yuuri was pep-talking himself into thinking of Viktor as he did Phichit, simply a sweet friend who he felt so sexual attraction to, when Viktor walked out of the locker room. Yuuri swore he had never seen someone look more gorgeous in sweatpants and a hoodie. Maybe it was simply the way Viktor carried himself, like he could make any garment appear high end on his perfect body as he strode confidently yet effortlessly forward. Or perhaps it was the way his long hair hung in wet strands, framing his lovely face, leaving dark spots on his shoulders where it dampened the cloth. Yuuri's chest felt tight.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Viktor said, reaching out a hand to touch Yuuri's shoulder then pulling back, thinking better of it. But when he saw Yuuri not flinch away, Viktor continued the gesture, smiling that radiant smile before giving Yuuri's shoulder a light squeeze.

Yuuri smiled back. It was now so easy to see how natural it was for Viktor to touch others, to be affectionate without it meaning anything deeper than he needed to connect in this lonely country. He hoped Viktor could feel free to do it more often.

"So, food?" Yuuri asked, taking a step toward the door.

"Sounds good, you finished your phone call?" Viktor asked.

Yuuri furrowed his brows. Phone call? Oh right, that had been his excuse not to be bombarded by Viktor in the shower once more. He looked down, seeing his phone in his hand, still turned off. "Yeah, sorry," Yuuri said, slipping it into his pocket.

Shaking his head Viktor strode by his side, their shoulders almost touching at times. "You know, I only realized it earlier. I wanted to call you to make sure...um, but I realized I don't have your number. And since you don't have an Instagram and I don't have Facebook I couldn't message you..."

"Oh." Yuuri thought for a moment. He couldn't believe he had left himself with absolutely no way to communicate with Viktor other than when they'd run into each other at home. Perhaps he had unconsciously done so on purpose. Or simply been absent minded. He reached into his pocket to turn his phone on.

"Let me see your phone, I'll put it in then you can call me so I have yours," Yuuri said, holding out his hand.

Viktor smiled and handed over his phone before Yuuri punched in his number. As Viktor took his phone back and called him, Yuuri took his phone out, frowning slightly. It was so old, it took forever to turn on. Viktor hung up just as it finally buzzed, alerting him.

"Did it go through?" Viktor said, leaning over his shoulder.

Just then Viktor's missed call and number showed up, right next to an unread text from Phichit. "A boyfriend? Tell me everything!"

Yuuri bit his lip, sticking the phone back in his pocket quickly, but he knew Viktor had probably already read it. At least there was no context, Viktor couldn't possibly know that he had been discussing Viktor's lovelife.

A slight frown creased the other man's brow before his countenance returned back to his usual smile. "Well now you have my number too," Viktor said, and Yuuri thought he heard a slight sadness to his voice. He was probably mistaken. "Are you sure you're still free for dinner?"

"Yeah, of course," Yuuri said as he began walking again. He couldn't help staring at a single drop of water that had fallen from Viktor's hair and settled on his cheek. It was strangely mesmerizing. "Aren't you cold?" he asked, indicating the other man's hair. He almost reached out to touch it but stopped himself just in time. Viktor did not seem the least bit concerned.

"Nah, I'm used to how long it takes to dry. I've been wondering lately though if I should cut it…"

"No!" Yuuri interrupted before he could stop himself. The bemused smile Viktor portrayed had him blushing profusely. Damn his impulse control. "I mean, there's no reason you should. It's very...becoming." Yuuri tried to think of the word that would least portray how incredibly gorgeous and sexy he found the long silver locks.

Laughing quietly, Viktor threw his dripping hair over his shoulder. "Becoming? I'm not sure I know that one in context. Is there another word?"

Shit. Now Yuuri would have to explain himself. "Um...like it looks perfect on you?" Damn it, he shouldn't have said perfect.

Luckily Viktor didn't seem to mind. "Oh, that's...thank you."

Yuuri stared as the other man blushed. Viktor probably got a million compliments a day from men and women alike who were much more interesting and famous than him. What an odd reaction.

"I mean, when you skate, it looks really nice flowing behind you. It lends a romantic air to your programs."

"Wow...Yuuri…"

It seemed Yuuri had rendered Viktor speechless. Yuuri could not help but laugh.

"Sorry, I'm babbling, I'm pretty tired from getting up so early to skate," Yuuri said, looking down at his feet.

"Oh, yeah I never see you at practice," Viktor said, looking over at him.

Of course Viktor had noticed his absence. Yuuri would have to do a better job not to appear as if he were avoiding the other man. "Sorry, yeah I...I sometimes get nervous skating around other people." Well one person in particular, Yuuri thought, hoping Viktor wouldn't know it was him. But his attempt at honesty seemed to placate the other man.

"If you want, you could always skate with me, I wouldn't mind helping you get over your nerves," Viktor said, completely misunderstanding the issue. Still, Yuuri's heart was warmed by the offer.

"Thanks I...I'll think about it," he replied honestly.

"Just to warn you, I'm not a morning person, so if you want to skate at dawn…" Viktor said, chuckling.

"I can't imagine you grumpy," Yuuri laughed back, studying the other man's beautiful features, trying to mentally rearrange them into a sullen disposition. He failed.

"Just picture Yakov with more hair. We're practically twins," Viktor said in all seriousness before he cracked a smile. "Although I've always wondered if he started balding before or after he became my coach. I remember the first time he took his hat off, I went to poke his bald spot and I swear I thought he was going to eat me alive! I've never been so frightened!"

"How old were you?" Yuuri asked as he chuckled along.

"No more than twelve! That Christmas I bought him a new hat, just incase he lost the other one, I didn't want to be tempted to poke him again! Now I get one for him every year and he has no idea why!"

Yuuri shook his head. He could just picture an innocent little Viktor handing his monster of a coach a nicely wrapped hat to placate him. It was pretty adorable.

"He really is a lot nicer than he looks though. Much better than my previous coach anyway," Viktor continued.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he was a former olympian, but his career was cut short due to an injury. I swear he blamed me, I have no idea why. But he pushed me incredibly hard, my feet were so bruised and bloody I couldn't even walk after practice each day, and he never let me rest. You know how intense russians are about training. At least I finally got the opportunity to switch coaches," Viktor said wistfully.

Yuuri frowned. All skaters knew how it felt to skate until their feet ached, the pain and pressure they endured to be their best. But a good coach knew when to let their athletes rest, where their breaking point was. "That's just terrible."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the conversation down," Viktor said, a bit embarrassed.

"What? No, I...I'm glad you told me," Yuuri said, wishing he knew what to do. Without thinking Yuuri placed his hand on Viktor's shoulder, just as the other man had done earlier to him. Viktor paused and turned as Yuuri smiled at him, giving his shoulder a reassuring grasp. "I know I've been a horrible friend, but...I just want you to know I'm here for you."

Yuuri looked from Viktor's eyes to the ground, wondering why he had felt the need to say such sappy things. But Viktor seemed incredibly moved. Yuuri found himself suddenly in Viktor's arms, caught up in a hug as their bodies pressed tightly together, Viktor's head in the curve of his neck. It was like a dream.

"Thank you," came the soft words whispered against his shoulder and Yuuri stole an opportunity to caress one hand down Viktor's back, touching his beautiful hair as he'd always wished. This felt too right, too perfect. And Yuuri knew his body was on the verge of betraying his very persistent attraction to the other man in a very obvious way, so he took half a step back.

"No, thank you," Yuuri said back as they smiled at one another and continued walking.


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner with Viktor was shockingly fun. Yuuri had no other way to describe it. He felt so at ease in the other man's presence, it was more like being with an old friend than a famous celebrity he just happened to find incredibly attractive. They chatted and laughed more than Yuuri could remember doing in a long time and it was just so refreshing and undeniably needed.

After they'd finished and walked back home together it felt strange to part ways at their respective doors. It almost reminded Yuuri of a first date, as if he was waiting for a kiss or an "I had a good time but…" hug. Yuuri paused outside his door, the sudden silence both awkward and overwhelming.

"I have some homework to finish," Viktor said, his bright eyes turning up as he smiled and placed a hand on his doorknob.

"Oh right, me too," Yuuri replied quietly, the spell suddenly broken as reality set back in.

"Maybe you could help me with some of the words I don't know. I mean between your homework. If you're not too busy," Viktor finished as he furrowed his brows slightly, his hand poised though he didn't yet move.

"Yeah. Yes. I'll meet you in the kitchen," Yuuri replied. He smiled, biting his lip as he turned away, shaking his head to himself before opening the door to grab his books.

Looking at him with the utmost confusion, Phichit raised an eyebrow from where he lay in bed.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Phichit said in exasperation, sitting up and raising a dark eyebrow. "A couple hours ago I get the saddest text, then no response, and now you're grinning like an idiot?"

Yuuri winced. He really should have texted Phichit back and he knew it. Whether it was guilt over how quickly he'd jumped into needy/anxious mode or the regret he felt for taking so long, it had soon spiraled into ignoring his friend and now he felt terrible.

"Phichit I, I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible friend. I...I was just feeling sorry for myself then regretted feeling sorry for myself…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Tell me from the beginning. Viktor has a boyfriend?"

So Yuuri relayed his day to Phichit, about his attempt at getting lunch with Viktor, how well everything had been going until Viktor's sudden text from Yakov berating his ex student for coming to America for a boyfriend.

"So you're sure?" Phichit said, apparently unconvinced.

"Well that's what Yakov said. That Viktor flew out here for a boyfriend," Yuuri replied.

"Huh, I really thought he liked you."

Yuuri shrugged. He really did not want to hear Phichit's evidence again. Yes Viktor seemed to like spending time with him. Yes he smiled when Yuuri was around. Honestly he did that with anyone though.

"Well he doesn't. And by what I can tell he must have a really shitty boyfriend. I mean, the guy is never over at our place, didn't help him move, he doesn't even take Viktor out on dates. And Viktor relocated across the world for him!" Yuuri was getting a bit animated and had to remind himself to lower his voice before Viktor heard.

"Okay, so why the hell were you smiling? I heard you talking to Viktor and I'd swear he must've kissed you for you to get a grin like that," Phichit said curiously.

Yuuri blushed profusely. It was nothing like that, and yet the way their dinner had seemed almost like a date still had Yuuri feeling like he was skating along to a stupid lovesong.

"I just decided afterwards that Viktor needs a friend here. I remember what it was like, being alone here and hardly knowing the language and culture. So I want to be here for him. Especially if his asshole of a boyfriend won't."

"So…" Phichit prompted.

"So, I pulled myself together. I went to see Viktor skate, then we had dinner. I didn't knock over anything or embarrass myself because I wasn't worried about impressing him. And now he asked for help with his homework," Yuuri said, shrugging like it meant less to him than it really did.

"Huh," Phichit said, leaning back against his headboard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuuri asked, grabbing his books.

"Nothing, just…" Phichit trailed off.

Yuuri shot him a confused look over his shoulder. "Let me know when you finish that sentence. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Have fun with VIKTOR," Phichit said, the last word coming out in a sing-song tone as Yuuri rolled his eyes. At least now he could take Phichit's teasing with a laugh instead of it causing heart palpitations.

...oooOO0OOooo…

The next week flew by in a whirlwind of practice, school, homework, sleep, repeat. Yuuri was exhausted, to stay the least, but he still attempted to find the time to spend with Viktor that the other man's boyfriend apparently could not. Often it was only a quick bite to eat after practice or sitting on the couch doing homework together, but the casual nature of their friendship put Yuuri at ease in a way he had not been before. He told himself it was worth it-losing a bit of sleep for the other man, getting to see that genuine smile that lit up his face or the way he'd play with his long hair when Viktor was thinking really hard about homework.

Unfortunately that lack of rest seemed to be getting the better of him lately, as Yuuri completely slept through his alarm for the second time that week. Only his internal clock kept him from missing his second class of the day as Yuuri shot out of bed, pulled on a hoodie and jeans and sprinted so fast that the track team would probably seek to recruit him if they'd seen.

Luckily that mad dash kept Yuuri wide-eyed and alert and the extra sleep his body had so desperately craved gave him a rare bout of energy. Since he'd slept through his usually dawn skating practice, Yuuri decided to make his way over to the rink following his third class. Normally he'd avoid skating during the day on the off chance Viktor might also be there, but Yuuri knew for a fact that Viktor had some sort of fashion class at that particular time so he was in the clear.

Yuuri sighed as he changed into his athletic gear, shucking off his sweats for some tighter yet more insulated skating clothes that Phichit said gave the added bonus of making his ass look "hot." He slicked back his hair and left his glasses with his other belongings in the locker room before making his way to the ice. Removing his guards, Yuuri turned on his iPod and took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders and vowing to get as much as he could out of today's workout. It looked like he'd have the ice to himself for a bit, though Celestino would probably stop by later with some of the younger students.

Taking a couple laps as a warm up, Yuuri quickly lost himself as he glided across the ice, taking his time to get his muscles sufficiently loosened before he began anything more complicated. He did some practice footwork, the ease of step routines giving him something to both concentrate on and lose himself in, the motions more natural than walking by now. Some spins followed, a sit spin, a Biellman Spin, a camel spin and soon he mixed them into his footwork. Then he worked on his jumps, starting with some singles, attempting to get his landings correct and comfortable before moving on to doubles, and if he was feeling up to it, triples.

Yuuri was just starting to feel comfortable, the ease of his routine coming naturally as he hummed along to the song, when a flash of silver caught his eye. Stopping abruptly Yuuri turned, switching off his music as he did.

And there his nightmare stood in all his beautiful glory. Viktor leaned over the railing, his features blurry to the glasses-less Yuuri, as the men stared in momentary silence. Yuuri felt himself redden as he attempted to catch his breath while his heart made its own mad dash to leap out of his chest. Frozen in place in the center of the rink, Yuuri had nowhere to hide. He glanced about as he bit his bottom lip, attempting to not hyperventilate as his mind went into overdrive, anxiety taking over as he realized that his idol had just watched him skate. He hated to think of what Viktor saw, what a mess he looked like, tired and uncoordinated on the ice while Viktor was ever the picture of grace and elegance.

Without a word Viktor skated over, coming to a halt in front of Yuuri and only then could he see the other man's features. Yuuri frowned. Viktor was strangely out of breath and flushed for someone who had only just taken to the ice. Then the biggest smile lit up his face as Viktor closed his eyes in pure radiant happiness.

"Yuuri, you skate so beautifully!" he practically shouted. "I just couldn't help it, I'm so sorry but I just had to come skate with you."

Yuuri's mouth hung open as he attempted to align his braincells to understand the bundle of excitement that Viktor had become as he practically hopped from skate to skate in front of him.

"Your combination was perfect, then that amazing footwork…"

Yuuri had stopped listening and was simply staring at Viktor as he attempted to figure out what strange reality he had slipped into where his idol was praising him. "Maybe I hit my head?" Yuuri wondered, "And I'm dying in the hospital and this is a last beautiful dream before my soul departs. I hope Phichit speaks at my funeral."

A soft hand on his shoulder brought Yuuri back.

"Yuuri?" Viktor cocked his head to the side.

"Umm…" Yuuri managed, not sure what he was actually supposed to respond to.

Viktor only smiled. "I know you don't like people watching you skate but…"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Yuuri said, his tone a bit more clipped than he'd intended. Yuuri silently cursed himself for sounding so abrupt.

Viktor's smile wavered a bit before he responded. "Yeah, the professor canceled so I thought I'd come practice. I can leave though if…"

"No, I was just going," Yuuri managed but before he could skate away Viktor's hand on his shoulder squeezed, keeping him in place.

"How about I skate over here. I won't watch okay?" Viktor said, his voice quiet despite his earlier enthusiasm.

Yuuri sighed. He did need to warm down or his muscles wouldn't thank him tomorrow. And if Viktor promised not to watch him…

"Okay," Yuuri said, biting his lip. "I'll probably just warm down though."

Viktor brightened slightly and nodded before skating to the right side of the rink. Yuuri watched out of the corner of his eye as long silver hair swept around the other man, highlighting his slim figure as Viktor took to the ice like he was born on it. How someone as graceful and talented as Viktor could compliment him was completely beyond Yuuri.

After a minute of being lost in his own thoughts Yuuri shook his head, flinging his hair back with a hand and skated over to the left of the rink. He wanted to turn his music back on, to get swept back up in his routine but it was hard to concentrate with Viktor so close by. Though, to his credit, the other man stuck to his word and didn't seem to be watching him. Maybe Yuuri could do this.

He did a couple quick laps then some easy spins before turning his iPod back on, only glancing over at Viktor every so often to insure he wasn't being watched. Not that he could see much without his glasses, but Viktor seemed to be sufficiently wrapped up in his own skating and not eyeing him in fascination as he was earlier. While he didn't feel completely at ease, Yuuri decided to get a bit more practice in as long as he was here.

So he skated, letting the music flow through him, to guide his body as he glided, allowing the stress and anxiety to dissipate with each passing note. Only when he came to rest did he realize how much time had passed. Viktor was at the edge of the rink, drinking water and putting on his guards in preparation to leave. Yuuri skated over and Viktor turned and smiled.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt," Viktor smiled, letting his hair fall loose from the ponytail he'd tied it into.

"What time is it?" Yuuri asked, completely out of breath.

"It's been almost an hour. You can stay, I just have to get back."

Yuuri was floored. He'd been able to skate for that long with Viktor around without even noticing. That thought did incredible things for his confidence.

"No, I'm done too, I'll walk back with you," Yuuri said, reaching out to put on his guards and made his way over to the lockers with Viktor.

Both men were quiet as they caught their breath, but there was a strange ease to it that Yuuri hadn't felt before. The awkwardness of most silences wasn't present and a small smile graced his features as Yuuri grabbed his glasses and threw on his coat, stuffing his clothes in a heap into his backpack.

Viktor donned a grey wool coat and threw his skates over his shoulder after slipping on some boots. He looked over to Yuuri and grinned when he saw the other man smiling.

"Good practice?" Viktor asked, and Yuuri was relieved that the other man didn't bring up anything more serious, like Yuuri's earlier obvious anxiety.

Yuuri nodded as they walked toward the entrance. "Yeah, it's been awhile since I got enough sleep to practice well. It felt really nice."

"I could tell," Viktor said, his long hair catching the light of the sunset as they exited the building. His pale cheeks were red from exertion and Yuuri stared momentarily, caught up in Viktor's radiance as the light glowed around Viktor like an unearthly perfect being.

"Yuuri?" Viktor stared, staring Viktor in the eye as they stopped momentarily.

"Uh?" Yuuri answered, his breath catching in his throat.

"I was wondering...have you ever pair skated?"

"What?" Yuuri shook his head, wondering what on earth had made the other man bring up something so random.

"It's just in the way you move. I've never seen it in a singles skater before. It's quite unique. Like you're waiting for someone to join you on the ice," Viktor shook his head before laughing slightly. "Forget it, it's just something I noticed."

Yuuri was dumbfounded. He'd never realized...and yet that was all he wanted. Ever since he was little he had been waiting to join Viktor on the ice. It was his reason for skating, it was why he got up every morning, why he moved to the US, why he practiced till his feet bruised and bled.

He shook it off. Viktor couldn't know.

"Actually, when I was little, my childhood friend and I would practice together. We'd watch tv and emulate the skaters. Her parents owned the local ice rink."

"Oh, maybe that's why," Vikor said thoughtfully, thought Yuuri knew that wasn't the whole reason. He had in fact only practiced pair skating with Minako a handful of times, but it was an easy excuse and a believable one at that. "Well whatever the reason, it fits your style. Don't change." Viktor smiled over at Yuuri as they continued to walk.

"I...okay," Yuuri said blushing. The fact that Viktor had studied him enough to notice something like that was both flattering and a bit frightening.

"Anyway, in class there was this weird girl who paints raw meat in gold frames…"

And just like that Viktor was off on another tangent, like he hadn't said something incredibly intimate to Yuuri. Nothing seemed to bother or phase Viktor and Yuuri was learning to take it in stride and perhaps also learn a thing or two about not letting anxiety get the best of him.

They talked about the strange girl that Viktor had sat next to as they walked back and the ease of the conversation made Yuuri forget his earlier worries as they laughed over her love of shadows and blood. Laughing, Yuuri opened their door only to come face to face with a frowning Celestino.

"Oh, Coach. Hi," Yuuri sputtered before Viktor popped up behind him.

"Celestino! We were just practicing…"

"Can I have a word with you Yuuri?" Celestion asked, his brows furrowed as he glanced between the men.

"Yeah, I'll just be in my room…" Viktor said, shooting Yuuri a troubled glance before leaving them to the living room.

"Umm," Yuuri started, rubbing the back of his neck, not quite sure what could be causing his coach to look so serious.

"So I got an email from your professor that you missed class today. Again."

"Oh, I accidently overslept…" Yuuri started but Celestino held up a hand.

"Let me finish. He said your grades have been dropping. Now I'd blame it on skating but I know you've been practicing, even if it's at the crack of dawn. I'm not sure why you're doing this, but it has got to stop. It's causing both your skating and grades to suffer."

Yuuri sat down on the couch and swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't do anything right. Not only was he doing poorly at school, but now he had failed his coach. And the day had seemed so hopeful only moments before.

"Look," Celestino said a bit more softly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "I know you have anxiety. And I'm betting this has something to do with Viktor as well. But whatever this is, I need to you figure things out. Fast. You can't stay in school with failing grades, and I can't keep you on the team either. You know that. Do you want to tell me what's going on Yuuri?"

Yuuri took a moment, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over, before shaking his head.

"That's okay. But I want you to talk to someone. Anyone. Please? I can't loose my star skater. You're the best skater on the team, you know that right?"

Yuuri didn't. He knew he was alright, but the best? Was Celestino only saying that to boost his ego, to encourage him to get it together?

Celestino patted him affectionately on the shoulder. "I didn't want to upset you, but I need you to take this seriously. Get enough sleep. Practice at normal hours. Eat right, no more living off coffee. Okay?"

Yuuri nodded and wiped his sleeve across his eyes. He could do this. He had to.

"Good," Celestino said, smiling for the first time since he'd entered the home. "Now get some food and some rest. And you can come to me for help anytime, I hope you know that."

With that the older man gave Yuuri one last affectionate pat before getting up and leaving Yuuri in a miserable heap on the couch.

He sniffed and curled up on himself, hating that he was such a disappointment. His anxiety had done this, he had done this to himself. If he failed he would have let down his family, his coach, his team. And he'd never get to skate with Viktor. That was probably the hardest thing to stomach and Yuuri lowered his head into his hands as his throat became scratchy and his eyes stung.

The soft sound of a door opening and feet padding toward him made Yuuri remember that he wasn't alone in the house. He looked up with red watery eyes as Viktor stood beside him.

"How much did you hear?" Yuuri asked in a dejected voice.

Instead of answering, Viktor folded himself beside Yuuri on the couch, wrapping an arm around the other man and pulling him to his chest.

"So all of it huh?" Yuuri said, half laughing, half crying with the realization that not only had Viktor heard his coach berate him, but he'd learned Yuuri's deepest darkest secret. About the crippling anxiety that he'd done his best to keep under wraps, that would make him seem weak and useless,. And now Viktor knew. Great.

"I didn't realize…" Viktor said softly before trailing off.

Yuuri shook his head. Viktor knew. Things couldn't possibly get much worse.

"I'm sorry you did this because of me. If I had known, I would never…" Viktor shook his head and petted Yuuri's hair softly.

Yuuri let himself crumple against the other man, basking in his warmth after such a cold dressing down. If Viktor thought him weak, he didn't show it now. He could only hope Viktor's opinion of him wouldn't change too much, that he'd still value his friendship. And maybe want to skate with him again.

He was so mentally and physically exhausted that Yuuri didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep in the other man's arms.


End file.
